Texas ATSSB trombone etudes: Blazhevich

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/53934861" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /] So, most of you young 1A-4A Texas trombonists have ATSSB All-Region auditions coming up in about 2 months! Maybe that statement made you start sweating just a little bit, because IT'S TIME TO START PRACTICING!

Would you like to know the secrets to becoming an ALL-STATE TROMBONE PLAYER? Do you want to know exactly what and how and how much and when and where to practice? Ok, I thought so. Read on and let's get busy!

Let's start by discussing the Blazhevich G Major étude in this post. This is a classic Blazhevich étude and one of my favorites. This is one of those pieces that kind of just "plays itself", musically, as long as you do your job.

First off, I want you to consider your chosen tempo and your time. Those are not the same thing. Your tempo is the chosen metronome marking you are using as your reference for the overall pace of the piece. In this case, I suggest a tempo marking of 72-78. This piece lends itself to a wide variety of tempos, but this range gives it a nice relaxed feel, while still enabling the performer to keep it moving forward.

Ok, now that you have your tempo, let's talk about time! Your time is defined as the consistency by which you apply your tempo. Time in this piece is important in that you need to keep the music moving ahead. If you start at one tempo and slow down (without returning to your original speed), the music will feel like it is just dragging along, and you will feel like the piece may never end. So, it's perfectly appropriate (and beautiful!) to add some ritardandi at the ends of some of the phrases. Just be sure that when you begin the next phrase, you return to your original tempo and keep the music moving. This will give you the "push and pull" that is so desirable, and comfortable, in a piece like this. The critical thing to remember is to ALWAYS SUBDIVIDE! Everyone talks about it, but no one does it! You need to be thinking constant eighth notes in your head throughout the performance of this work. Count yourself off (silently) when you start but think eighth notes in your count off before you begin. You will hear, in my recording, that I am not always back in right on time after my breaths. I feel that's ok in a piece like this as it keeps the music relaxed and unhurried. Just remember, when you come back in, do so at your original tempo. Subdivide!

Volume... I like to play a piece like this with what I call a "soloistic piano", or better yet, "safe soft". This gives me enough volume to add or subtract intensity in a given passage, especially when I'm nervous. Be comfortable, but on the quiet side. Grow the intensity in the fuller dynamics, and let it relax in the quieter sections. Keep it simple. Imagine you are playing in a huge concert hall, gymnasium, or even outdoors and that you are trying to fill up every inch of space with your beautiful sound!

One of the most important things you can do in your preparation for your audition is to record yourself in practice. Use the voice memo recorder on your phone or your parents phone, and every other day or so, play straight through the piece as if you are in your audition. When you play it back, listen for the following:

1. How was my time? Did it stay steady and consistent or did I get faster/slower as the piece went on? WAS I SUBDIVIDING? 2. How was my sound? Was it full and beautiful? Did I imagine the sound I want to hear in my head before I played? 3. How was my legato? Am I moving my slide "late and quick" so as to get a smooth connection between notes with no (or almost no) gliss in the connection?

Good luck. Remember, practice is temporary, pride is forever! That is no joke. Work hard, practice smart, record yourself, and have a great audition!

A posting of the Gatti étude will follow in a few days. Have fun, play your trombone, and make music!

Your Virtual Trombonist, Chris

Healthy Habits During Marching Band Season

OK you young trombone jocks, I'm on to you! I know exactly what you do every day beginning in August: standing outside, slide parallel to the deck, running set after set in the hot sun, and playing AS LOUD AS YOU CAN PLAY! Yeah, I know that's what you're up to! How do I know? I know because I like to do that too! Who doesn't love to go out on the football field on a hot August morning or a cool October Friday night and play loud in your pre game warmup, loud in the bleachers, loud at half time, and loud during the 4th quarter? That's all well and good, provided you are playing with a good sound. You are thinking about your tone quality out there, aren't you?!?!

I want to address one way that we, as brass players, stay healthy. Well, what the heck does "staying healthy" mean? Do you ever have those moments where you play really hard and loud at a game or contest, and the next day your face feels like a brick? Maybe it's hard to warm up, your sound is super fuzzy, articulation and starting notes is difficult... sound familiar? That feeling is not healthy and it's a sign that you could be overdoing it! LISTEN TO YOUR BODY, it is trying to tell you something!

Now, I'll be the first to admit that restraint is not a common virtue among trombone players! We tend to have the reputation for getting a little excited at times, maybe overdoing it a bit... So, I want you to think about your practice habits during marching band season! BALANCE is key! If you are outside playing loud during rehearsal or performance, then the vast majority of your practicing should be easy. Work on soft long tones, lip slurs, Rochut etudes 8ba and in tenor clef 8ba. This is also a good time to catch up on listening and studying recordings of new pieces. You might work on music theory or ear training practice. There are many options. When I have had a period with a lot of loud playing, especially if it's outside, I balance that with easy, soft practicing on my own. Try it, I think you will feel, and sound, much better!

Sight reading in 3...2...1...GO!

  The topic of sight reading continues to rear its head in my teaching and discussions with colleagues.  Notice I didn't say "ugly"!  To me, sight reading is one of the most enjoyable musical experiences we can have.  Sight reading a new piece can lend an air of excitement and the unexpected to times where we find ourselves playing the "same old, same old"!  Sight reading is also a very trainable skill.

In my current job, I have a lot of opportunities to sight read.  I often show up to a band commitment or a brass quintet performance and am required to read new music.  Especially on my longer days, the conductor may start pulling out pieces that don't get performed often, or that are new to most of us.  How does one go about becoming a better sight reader?!?!

First and foremost, and quite obviously, you must actually practice sight reading.  "No joke!", you say.  This is one of those skills that gets talked about, and most people know how to do, but few rarely ever actually work on it!  It is also a skill that I feel most musicians don't take seriously enough.  When you need it, you really need it!

There are a few avenues of approach here... If you are getting ready for a band or orchestra audition, then the most helpful thing is to go to your school's music library and ask for 2 or 3 pieces at a time to take out and read through...  The more music you know, the better your chances of successful sight reading on a job or audition.  As the old saying goes, "the best way to get better at sight reading is to never have to sight read!"

Now, most music librarians and band directors may be hesitant to let someone walk off with original ensemble parts to which they have no replacement... So, ask them if you might copy a page or two out of each part for practice purposes.  This often keeps the library from getting into trouble regarding copyright and reproduction of complete parts.  You should pull standard band pieces, marches, anything you can think of!  Sit down with the parts and look them over thoroughly before you read them.  Go slowly and really try to get an idea in your mind of what the piece is going to sound like.  In an audition, you won't have that much time, but through practice, you will get better and faster at this initial scan of the music.  Next, play the piece.  Go slower than marked as needed, and don't feel like you have to play every little part.  Play the big important sections.  Record your initial attempt and listen back.  Listen for: rhythmic accuracy, confidence, and tone quality.  Remember, sight reading is not about perfection!  It is about projecting  confidence to your listener that you know the music you are playing reasonably well.  Second, your time and ability to "stick with it" tells your listener that you have good fundamental skills, and that difficult passages won't get you rattled and cause you to implode and stop.  That is undesirable as a soloist, but disastrous when you are sight reading within an ensemble.

For trombonists, I can't recommend the old Andre Lafosse School of Sight Reading and Style étude books enough.  There are five volumes, A through E, with E getting ridiculously hard!  My teacher throughout my high school years used to plop one of those on the music stand and have me play them in lessons.  The manuscript is terrible and the clef changes are frequent and non-traditional.  They are a great tool to train your reading brain.

Sight reading can be an enjoyable and very rewarding part of your musical life.  If you have professional aspirations, it is an extremely important part of your bag of tools.  Regular practice and use of the right tools will go a long way towards preparing you to be ready for anything!

Yours virtually,

Chris